Mahendra Singh Dhoni stood as the Indian captain for one last time on Tuesday against England in a practice match, and despite not being able to pull off one final victory, there was a lot for the Indian fans to cherish.
India, who opted to bat first after winning the toss amassed a total of 303 in their allotted 50 overs thanks to a late blitz by Dhoni who smashed his way to an unbeaten knock of 68 off 40 deliveries. There was a lot to cheer for the Indian supporters as Yuvraj Singh was at his vintage best as he scored a quickfire half-century as well. However, the day belonged to Ambati Rayadu who scored a phenomenal century off 97 deliveries after which he retired.
Unfortunately, the English batsmen were too good for the Indian bowlers and chased down the total with 7 balls to spare. Sam Billings was the star with the bat as he scored a sumptuous knock of 93 off 85 balls. Debutant Kuldeep Yadav was the pick of the bowlers as he picked up a five-wicket haul and conceded 60 runs in his 10 overs.
Here are the top 5 moments of Dhoni;s final match as captain
#5 Crowd goes crazy as Dhoni walks out to bat
The kind of reception Dhoni received from the fans present at the Brabourne Stadium was as if he was playing in his last ever One Day International. Chants of "Dhoni, Dhoni" rang around the stadium as Rayadu, after scoring a century, made way for his captain to take the crease.
In fact, the crowd were chanting Dhoni’s name right from the beginning of the match and continued to do so even when Rayadu and Yuvraj were tearing the English bowlers apart with their batting performances.
#4 Vintage Dhoni smashes 23 off one over
Watch: MS Dhoni’s aggressive knock of 68
As he led the Men in Blue for one last time, fans were able to witness Dhoni at his vintage best as he smashed his way to an unbeaten knock of 68 off 40 deliveries with 8 fours and 2 sixes to his name. Despite starting off slowly, Dhoni got into his groove as the innings progressed and decimated the English bowlers.
His 68 run knock included a 23 run over off Chris Woakes where he hit two sixes and two fours to take India past the 300 run mark.
#3 Yuvraj’s return
The decision to pick Yuvraj Singh in the ODI and T20 squads might have raised a few eyebrows among fans and critics, but the 35-year-old veteran had the perfect answer to those questioning his selection as he scored a mouth-watering knock of 56 off 48 deliveries.
Just like Dhoni, he too seemed a bit patchy at the beginning of his innings, but his confidence came back to him after smashing Adil Rashid for two huge sixes in the 34th over of the match which helped propel him to his half-century.
#2 Dhoni fulfils a fan’s wish
At the end of 46 overs, India had only managed 258/4. While MS Dhoni was still at the crease, batting on 26 and looking at his blistering best, India A were still not in a comfortable position. Dhoni was having a conversation with Hardik Pandya at the end of the over when it all happened.
A fan leapt over the fence and ran towards Dhoni and wanted to shake hands with him. Dhoni obliged and shook his hands, but what happened next was even more surprising as the fan fell to his feet. He was escorted out of the ground shortly after that.
#1 Yuvraj and Dhoni’s video after the match
Shortly after the match, Yuvraj Singh, Dhoni’s long time teammate, posted a video with the duo conversing about their respective careers and the mutual admiration for each other.
Yuvraj spoke about Dhoni’s captaincy, with the man himself by his side and Dhoni conceded about how good it was to have players like Yuvraj, who make the job easier.
With Dhoni and Yuvraj both back in blistering form, fans cannot wait to watch this deadly duo in action against the English side in the ODIs and T20s which begin this Sunday at the Maharashtra Cricket Association stadium in Pune.
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